amphibians

On a rainy spring night with temperatures sufficiently warm and ice melted from the ponds and ground we go to The Pool. We hope we have picked the right night and will be able to meet up with our old friends. We are not disappointed.

Spotted Salamander

Jefferson / Blue-Spotted Complex

Leopard Frog

Wood Frog (not sure why he appears blue-ish here!)

This was only my second time using this camera (Sony DSC-RX100) at night. (The first time was in a snowy blizzard, and this time in the rain…) I tried using it without the flash, lighting each critter with a new, powerful MagLite flashlight I bought just for the occasion. I need to practice more to get better focus and to get the light just right, but I’m not displeased with the exposures.

One of the bird walks for Audubon’s spring birding series will be at the Watts Flats Wildlife Mangement Area. I decided to check it out today. I’m frankly kind of suprised I’ve never run upon it before this. It is so close, and so accessible.

We parked at a lot at the corner of Swede Road and Green Flats Road.

Before getting to the parking lot, we saw a mink bound over Swede Road in front of us. Later we would also see a muskrat, and plenty of evidence of beaver activity:

We parked close to Swede Road and walked Green Flats Road to the second parking lot. It looked as Green Flats Road is supposed to continue as a grassy trail.

But the bridge and much of the trail was under water!

We turned left instead and into the woods. The trail was wet – even covered with water in some places. But I could see it would be a very nice trail when the water goes down a bit. We hiked out until we got to a spot where the trail was covered with two feet of water, then turned around and back out to the car.

Along the way, we saw plenty of wildlife.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Eastern Garter Snake

Canada Goose

We also saw robins and crows, a red-tailed hawk, a pair of frisky kingfishers, and a very large bird that we could not identify. I swear it was shaped like a cormorant, but it was a light brown color. I heard red-winged blackbirds, but never saw one. Dozens of frogs jumped into the water before we could see what they were. And we even saw dragonflies – one was definitely a Common Green Darner. I suspect the other one was, too, but I couldn’t get a good look.

Plants were also plentiful, though not many in bloom yet.

Pussy Willow

Colt’s Foot

Ground Pine

It was a very pleasant afternoon walk. I look forward to going back early in the morning in a few weeks as part of the birding classes. Hopefully the water will be down and we can hike around that pond.

“But hey, speaking of live animals, do you think tonight might be the night?”

“Could be. Rain. Temps near sixty.”

“It’s supposed to get cold again, though. And snow.”

Later in the day, we check the hour by hour forecast. Temperatures aren’t supposed to drop until 11pm or midnight. I send an email to the Spontaneous Naturalist list, post a notice on Facebook, and call Wanda. “Tonight’s the night. Dig out your rain gear and your strongest flashlight. I’ll pick you up at 7:30.”

Wanda - dressed for the weather, flashlight ready!

We arrive just as the light is fading. Peepers are singing. Rain is steady, but not unpleasant. We walk out the maintenance road, along the big field, into the woods and find two friends on a bench, clad in rain gear, also waiting for the migration.

We chat a bit, then head for the pond.

We pick our way around the edge, shining flashlights into the water.

All our old friends are here, all anticipating spring, as are we.

Wood Frog

Leopard Frog

Spotted Salamanders

Snapping Turtle

There is also evidence that the reason for coming the pond has already started, if you know what I mean…

Wood Frog and Jefferson/Blue Spotted Salamander Eggs

Jefferson/Blue-spotted Eggs

Spotted Salamander w/ Spermatophores

The amphibians were not as plentiful as I have sometimes seen them, bit it was relatively early when we headed home. We did not hear Wood Frogs singing on the way to the pond, but on the way back to the car, we did. So perhaps it got “busier” at the pool after we left.

I love to visit the vernal pools in spring. It has become a tradition.

It had been so warm for so many days. Finally, rain. But when the rain came, the temperatures dropped… into the 40s… too cold, according to the experts, for the Spotted Salamanders to migrate to the pools. I knew there was little hope of finding them, but I ventured out anyway with camera, flashlights, cell phone, and the list of people who are as anxious as me to see them.

The sound of the peepers ws deafening as I passed the ponds along the old farm road.

When I got to the pond, I heard plenty of Wood Frogs… but they stopped singing when I shone my flashlight into the water. I searched and searched for salamanders, but saw nothing. Just the eggs that the Jefferson’s had left a week or more ago… and a few Wood Frog eggs. The frogs stopped singing when I turned on my flashlight.

After searching, I decided to turn off the flashlight and get quiet so the Wood Frogs would sing some more. I planned to get out my camera and capture their songs, as I had the Spring Peepers. But they wouldn’t sing.

Then I heard a rustling in the leaves near the path. I thought there was an animal visitor… perhaps a deer, or a raccoon. A strange noise came from that direction – like the noise people make when they are “talking to” red squirrels… I decided to get my cameral out so I could try to capture this strange sound…

Then it turned into giggling and a flashlight went on. Pat and Denny! Together we searched the pond and finally saw a few Spotted Salamanders… probably males that made it to the pond a while back… Denny captured one so I could photograph it.

Not much activity in the pond on this cold night. On the way back, though, we saw plenty of Glowworms:

Sarah and I walked out to the Vernal Pool today to see if anything has happened yet. The short story is: we have not missed the migration of the Spotted Salamanders!

We heard our first Spring Peepers as we walked out. And when we got to the pool, we did see a couple of of Wood Frogs who jumped in as we approached,the snapping turtle who overwinters in this pool, and quite a few eggs from the Jefferson-Blue-Spotted Salamanders.

Spring Peeper by Sarah Hatfield

Wood Frog by Tom LeBlanc

Snapping Turtle in the Vernal Pool

Jefferson-Blue-Spotted Salamander

We have had warm weather. And we have had wet weather. But we have not yet had warm wet weather. The Spotted Salamander females are said to run when the temperature is 55 and it’s raining… Maybe this week?

Spotted Salamanders

Trying to time the migration of spotted salamanders each spring has become an obsession for me. It just isn’t spring, unless I can (at least try to) go see the salamanders in the vernal pool. Spontaneous Naturalists: be on the ready… It could be this week.